Police delight at Chancellor’s decison to scrap budget cuts

Thames Valley Police Chief Constable Francis Habgood has warned the force is still “in times of austerity” despite the Chancellor’s decision not to make further cuts to the police budget.

He said: “I am pleased to hear today that the Chancellor has acknowledged the need to protect police services by deciding not to make further cuts to police budgets in the next year.

“Clearly we will now need to take some time to look at the budget in detail and revise our forecasts following the announcement.

Mr Habgood added: “Today is a good day for our communities and Thames Valley Police but we must also remember that we are still in times of austerity and we will continue to have some difficult choices to make about how we allocate our resources according to local priorities.

“We will continue to look at ways to transform the way that we deliver our services, part of which is to move forward with our Priority Based Budgeting programme. This will enable us to better understand the demand on policing in order to reduce that demand by working with our partners and communities to encourage problem solving and prioritise attendance.”

The police chief has vowed to continue to ensure police we maximise every opportunity to prevent crime, protect the public and bring offenders to justice.

Meanwhile Police and Crime Commissioner for Thames Valley, Anthony Stansfeld, said he was “absolutely delighted” that the planned cuts had not gone ahead.

He told the Citizen: “Over recent weeks I have spoken to both the Home Secretary and the Prime Minister about the proposed cuts and the challenges it would bring to the delivery of front line policing. I am pleased that senior politicians have listened and the adverse impact of the cuts has been recognised.

“We still need to look at the detail to understand fully what this means for Thames Valley Police’s budget. We will know more when we receive the details of our annual allocation in mid-December.”

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